Last week I did something new and brave thanks to a recent round of fresh counseling sessions: I slid down a water slide with NO inhibitions! I grabbed the overhead bar with both fists, swung hard, launched myself, leaned back, crossed my arms on my chest and FLEW!!!! I have NEVER gone down a water slide like this before. Ever. I’ve always sat up and used my hands to slow me down. I’ve never looked up. I’ve always tried to see where the next turn was coming. And this time it. was. AWESOME.

Of course, I have not been going to counseling again in order to help me improve my water slide skills, but learning to face and manage my anxiety in some new areas has led to positive changes in so many other areas too, which is a tender mercy from a tough season. I’m getting unstuck, cleaning up the messes that have been piling up (both literally and figuratively) and moving forward. Some of these areas have felt stagnant for months, and it’s not always easy…at all…but I can’t deny that clarity and progress ARE happening, little by little.

I’m sharing this to encourage anyone considering therapy to GO FOR IT! Who knows what might happen? Maybe you’ll end up with a clean bedroom and mad water slide skills, along with greater emotional health. I have many mental tricks that help me, so many that I’ve written a book on it – literally! But I still have a lot I can learn too, and a fresh perspective can be amazing… especially when it’s from a reeling, refreshing water slide.